Removable button fastening means



Sept. 17, 1968 s. E. MARX ET AL' 3,401,433 I REMOVABLE BUTTON FASTENING MEANS Filed May 16. 1967 0, I? I H ll 13 A L- 1 2 4 6m 2??533 17477)! 14 47/677 /4E- %II/ 07716;" frdr United States Patent 3,401,433 REMOVABLE BUTTON FASTENING MEANS Sue E. Marx, 19585 Roslyn, Detroit, Mich. 48221, and

Mary M. Wartell, 28 Cambridge, Pleasant Ridge, Mich.

48069, and Montgomery Ferar, Huntington Woods, and

Heinrich G. Langhjelm, Southfield, Mich.; said Ferar and said Langhjelm assignors to said Marx and said Wartell Filed May 16, 1967, Ser. No. 638,793 Claims. (Cl. 24-104) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A retainer on the inside of a garment and a wire key holding a button outside the garment, passing through the garment and detachably held by the retainer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the invention The invention relates to garments having buttons, particularly where it is desired to change the buttons for different decorative effects.

2. Description of the prior art The prior art includes a number of fasteners for securing buttons to garments without sewing. In most cases, these fasteners are of a complicated and expensive nature, and some require the deformation of a fastener element, thus making it difficult to replace the button for different styles by use of the same fastener. The deformed parts are also subject to breakage upon reuse. One known type of fastener has an element which must first be secured to an apertured portion of the garment and is clearly visible from the outside when mounted. Another type uses an exposed cord which extends along the length of the garment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises a wire key passing through the garment and a plastic retainer inside of the garment and detachably secured to the key. Theoutside portion of the key is looped and holds any style of button with a wire ring or a pair of holes. The inside portion of the key has two prongs at right angles to the main portion. The retainer is a decorative disc-shaped member having a central circular recess extending partially therein and a slot extending from one side of the recess to the disc rim. A cavity extends to one. side of this slot and hasan outer wall with a radius which gradually decreases in a direction away from the slot. 7

After passing the key (with any button attached) through the garment, the prongs are squeezed together and inserted in the retainer slot. The retainer is then rotated, concealing the prongs and embedding the prong points in the outer cavity wall. Rotation of the retainer in the opposite direction will permit it to be withdrawn from the key so that it may be removed from the garment and another style of button and/ or retainer substituted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONOF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a perspective vie-w of a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing the separated wire key and retainer with a button mounted on the key;.

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 but showing the key prongs being squeezed together before entering the retainer slot;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIGURE 2 but with the key prongs having entered the retainer slot;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 44 of FIGURE 3, and showing the manner in which the prongs are initially disposed in the retainer cavity; I

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 3, but show ing the position of the parts after the retainer has been rotated to its locked position, and

FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 66 of FIGURE 5 showing the prongs embedded in the outer cavity wall.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The fastening means is intended to removably secure a button 11 to a garment such as a ladys coat or suit, where it is desired that the button be replaceable by other buttons with different decorative properties. For example, the button 11 shown in the drawings has a hemispherical shape, and a series of these buttons on a garment will impart a certain overall aesthetic effect. A series of buttons having a different shape, color or size would create another effect when worn on the garment or could be appro-. priate for other occasions. The button shown, and buttons with which it is interchangeable, are provided with a conventional wire ring 12 on their undersides which is permanently fixed thereto.

The removable button fastening means of this invention comprises two elements, a key generally indicated at 13 and a retainer generally indicated at 14. Key 13 is fabricated of steel wire or like material having springlike properties, and has a looped central portion 13', a pair of shanks 15 and 16 extending from the loop, and a pair of prongs 17 and 18 extending at right angles from shanks 15 and 16 respectively, the prongs having pointed ends. The junctures 19 between the shanks and prongs have a substantial radius of curvature.

Normally, shanks 15 and 16 are in parallel relation, but may be forced together as indicated by arrows 20 and 21 in FIGURE 2, bringing prongs 17 and 18 against each other.

The shape of loop 13' may be varied to suit requirements. For example, if the button to be fastened is provided with spaced holes instead of securing ring 12, loop 13' may be shaped accordingly.

The length of shanks 15 and 1'6 may also be chosen to suit requirements, and will normally be such as to not only permit penetration through a garment, partially indicated at 22 in FIGURE 3, but also when combined with the height of ring 12, permit the overlapping portion 23 of the garment to lie fiat under button 11.

Retainer 14 is preferably fabricated of a plastic material which is relatively hard and has sufiicient strength and resiliency for its purpose, but is penetrable by the sharp points of prongs 17 and 18. Suitable materials for this purpose could be chosen from polystyrene or polypropylene plastics.

The retainer is shown as being of disc-shaped construction, with a fiat inner surface 24, a cylindrical side surface 25, and a convex outer surface 26. However, the retainer can be finished in a variety of textures, colors and designs to harmonize with the garment so that its exposure is readily acceptable. The diameter of retainer 14 is ample to prevent withdrawal of key 13 from the garment.

A circular recess 27 is formed in the central portion of end surface 24 and penetrates partly through the retainer. A slot 28 extends from one side of this recess to the outside of the retainer. The length of slot 28, when combined with the diameter of slot 27 with which it is contiguous, is sufiicient to receive prongs 17 and 18, as seen in FIGURE 4. The width of slot 28 however, is such that the prongs must be squeezed together as shown in FIG- URE 2 before they may be inserted in the slot.

A cavity 29 is formed in retainer 14, this cavity having a flat top and bottom parallel to surface 24 and being contiguous with recess 27 and slot 28. The height of cavity 29 is substantially equal to the thickness of the wire of which key 13 is fabricated. The cavity extends a slight distance to one side and a substantial distance to the other side of slot 28. The side that extends a slight distance is bounded by a wall 31 indicated in FIGURES 4 and 6, whereas the side extending the greater distance is bounded by a Wall 32. These two walls 31 and 32 extend radially from recess 27 so that the cavity has a generally segmental shape. The angle of this segment is substantially less than 180 so that when retainer 14 is rotated to its locking position, as described below, shanks 15 and 16 will still be backed upby the Wall forming recess 27.

Referring to that part of cavity 29 bounded by wall 32, the portion closer to slot 28 is open-ended, that is, it extends all the way to outer surface 25. However, a wall 33 closes the outside of that portion of cavity 29 remote from slot 28. This wall is curved in such a manner that its distance from the center of the retainer decreases in a direction away from slot 28. The distance of the final portion 34 of wall 33 (FIGURE 6) from the far side of cavity 27 is slightly less than the length of prongs 17 and 18.

In operation, a chosen button 11 will be mounted on key 13, and the prongs 17 and 18 of the key forced through garment 22 until shanks 15 and 16 pass through the garment. To insert prongs 17 and 18 in garment 22 is is unnecessary that the garment be provided with any opening, since the pointed ends of prongs 17 and 18 will easily penetrate the fabric. When first entering garment 22, prongs 17 and 18 will of cor rse be held at right angles to the surface of the cloth. As soon as prongs 17 and 18 have penetrated into the material, key 13 will be tilted so that shank portions 15 and 16 thereof extend upwardly, curved portions 19 of the key passing through the material, followed by the adjacent portions of shanks 15 and 16. Shanks 15 and 16 will then be squeezed together and prongs 17 and 18 passed through slot 28 of retainer 14, with the prongs pointing toward the outside of the retainer. When the shanks are released, the prongs will spread apart and the retainer will be initially held onto the key by the partial entry of the prongs into the cavity 29 (FIGURE 4).

Retainer 14 will then be rotated in a counterclockwise direction (FIGURE 6) while holding button 11 with the other 'hand. This will cause prongs 17 and 18 to enter the closed portion of cavity 29, and the pointed ends of the prongs will be embedded or jammed into portion 34 of wall 33. The retainer will thus be locked in position and will not be dislodged by any forces ordinarily exerted on button 11. The button may still be manipulated in the usual manner without interference by the fastening means. Retainer 14 will also enclose and conceal prongs 17 and 18, preventing injury to the wearer.

When it is desired to replace button 11 by another type of button, it is merely necessary to hold the button in one hand and rotate retainer 14 clockwise from its FIGURE 6 to its FIGURE 4 position. Shanks 15 and 16 of key 13 will then be squeezed together and prongs 17 land 18 withdrawn from the retainer through slot 28. The key and retainer may then be reused for fastening the other button.

It should be observed that at no point during the button fastening or unfastening operations will it become necessary to deform wire key 13 beyond its elastic limit. This key therefore will last indefinitely. Retainer 14, being fabricated of a plastic having a certain amount of resiliency will be usable for a substantial number of fastening and unfastening operation-s;Eventually, however, portion 34 of wall 33 may become scored to the point where it will no longer satisfactorily grip prongs 17 and 18. In practice, therefore, spare retainers 14 could be supplied with a set of fasteners. As indicated above, the retainer will also serve as a finished, decorative and coordinated element of the garment, and different styles of retainers could be provided for various purposes.

While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiment of the invention disclosed is Well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modification, 1 variation and change without departing from the proper scope or-fair meaning of the subjoined claims.

We claim:

1. Means for removably fastening a button to a garment comprising a springlike wire key having a buttonengaging loop, a pair of parallel shanks extending from said loop and a pair of parallel prongs extending from said shanks, said key having a predetermined shape before mounting on a garment, the prongs of said key being penetrable through the fabric of a garment so as to mount said key on the garment with said loop on one side thereof, said shanks passing through said garment and said prongs on the inside of said garment, a retainer comprising a disc disposed entirely on the inside of said garment and having a surface facing said garment and means on said retainer enclosing and detachably securing the retainer to that portion of the key on the inside of the garment while preserving said predetermined shape of the key, said last-mentioned means comprising a central circular recess in said surface, a slot in said surface extending outwardly from said recess, and a segmentally shaped cavity in said disc contiguous with said recess and slot, the radial dimension of said cavity decreasing in a direction away from said slot, one portion of said .radial dimension being less than the length of at least one of said prongs, whereby rotation of said disc after said prongs have passed through said slot will cause the prongs to be jammed into said cavity, the disc being of such size as to prevent withdrawal of said key from said garment.

2. The combination according to claim 1, said prongs having pointed ends, said retainer being fabricated of a plastic material, whereby said jamming will result in embedding of said points in the outer wall of said cavity;

3. The combination according to claim- 2, the width of said slot being less than the distance between said prongs when said key is in its unstressed condition but greater than the distance between said prongs when squeezed together, whereby release of said key after said prongs have entered said slot will cause the prongs to partially enter said cavity.

4. The combination according to claim 2, the segment subtended by said cavity being substantially less than whereby the inner ends of both prongs will be supported by the wall of said circular recess when said retainer is rotated to its prong-jamming position.

5. Means for removably fastening a button to a garment comprising a key having a button-engaging'portion, a shank extending from said button-engaging portion and a prong extending substantially at right angles from said shank, said key having a predetermined shape before mounting on a garment, the prong of said key being penetrable through the fabric of a garment soa's to mount said key on the garment with 'saidbutton-engaging portion on one side thereof, said shank passing through said garment and said prong on the inside of said garment, a retainer comprising a disc disposed entirely on the inside of said garment, and means on said retainer detachably securing the retainer to that portion of thekey on the inside of the garment while preserving said predetermined shape of the key, said last mentioned means comprising a slot in said disc receiving said prong when said disc is moved axially toward said prong and a cavity contiguous with said slot and receiving said prong when said disc is rotated after the prong has entered said slot, whereby axial separating movement of said disc from said key will be prevented, the radial dimension of said cavity decreasing in a direction away from said slot, one portion of said radial dimension being less than the length of said prong, whereby continued rotation of said disc will cause said prong to become jammed in said cavity, the retainer being of such size as to prevent withdrawal of said key from said garment.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 25,004 7/1961 La Rue et al. 24--103 1,328,432 1/1920 Iversen 24104 FOREIGN PATENTS 302,674 11/ 1932 Italy.

55,475 10/ 1923 Sweden.

10 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner.

ERNEST SIMONSEN, Assistant Examiner. 

